Pinoy Menu

Rabbi is a friend who’s now one of the many talented Filipinos who are now slaves to the Mouse. Yes, he’s one of the performers in Disneyland Hong Kong. He sent me the following; I guess he gets really bored during his down-time.

* * * MENU FOR THE DAY * * *

TAPSILOG - Tapa, Sinangag, Itlog
LONGSILOG - Longganisa, Sinangag, Itlog
HOTSILOG - Hotdog, Sinangag, Itlog
PORKSILOG - Baboy, Sinangag, Itlog
CHICKSILOG - Chicken Sinangag Itlog
AZUCARERA - Adobong Aso
LUGLOG - Lugaw, Itlog
PAKAPLOG - Pandesal, Kape, Itlog
KALOG - Kanin, Itlog
PAKALOG - Pandesal, Kanin, Itlog
MAALOG NA BETLOG - Maalat na Itlog, Pakbet, Itlog
BAHAW - kaning lamig ito... pero may nagtinda, Bakang Inihaw
KALKAL - Kalderetang Kalabaw

HIMAS - Hipon Malasado
HIMAS SUSO - Hipon Malasado, Sugpo, Keso
HIMAS PEKPEK - Hipon Malasado, Kropek, Pinekpek'n
PEKPEK MONG MALAKI - Kropek, Pinekpek'n, Monggo, Malasado, Laing, Kilawin

DILA - Dinuguan, Laing
DILAAN MO - Dinuguan, Laing, Dalandan, Molo

BOKA BOKA - Bopis, Kanin, Bokayo, Kape
BOKA BOKA MO PA - Bopis, Kanin, Bokayo, Kape, Molong Pancit

KANTOT - Kanin, Tortang Talong
KANTOT PA - Kanin, Tortang Talong, Pancit
SIGE KANTOT PA - Sinigang na Pige, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Pancit
SIGE KANTOT PA HA - Sinigang na Pige, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Pancit, Halo-halo
SIGE KANTOT PA IBAON MO - Sinigang na Pige, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Pancit... Take out
SIGE KANTOT PA IBAON MO PAPA - Sinigang na Pige, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Pancit... Take out w/ Ketchup

PAKANTOT - Pandesal, Kanin, Tortang Talong
PAPAKANTOT - Papaitan, Kanin, Tortang Talong
PAPAKANTOT KA BA - Papaitan, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Kapeng Barako
PAKANTOT SA YO - Pandesal, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Saging... + Yosi
PAKANTOT KA - Pandesal, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Kape
PAKANTOT KA HABANG MATIGAS PA - Pandesal, Kanin, Tortang Talong, Kape, Inihaw na Bangus, Maruya, Tinola, Ginisang Aso, Pancit

SUBO - Sugpo, Bopis
SUBO MO - Sugpo, Bopis, Molo
SUBO MO PA - Sugpo, Bopis, Molo, Pancit
SUBO MO PA MAIGE - Sugpo, Bopis, Molo, Mais, Pige
SUBO MO TITE KO - Sugpo, Bopis, Tinola, Teryaki, Kochinta
SUBO MO TITE KO BILIS! - Sugpo, Bopis, Tinola Teryaki, Kochinta, Bihon, Tawilis
SUBO MO TITE KO BILIS, HAYOP! - ...same as above, minura mo lang yung waiter kasi ang tagal ng order...

A Splash Of Cold Water

I received an email in my Fridae.com account:

hi there
xxx here 24 years old
im a good person maintaining to be good
i can be your friend if you want it too
are you interested talking or chatiing with me
i will send you my picture the moment i will know your emaila ad

I checked out his profile. True enough, the guy had no picture but his stats looked promising. Then I read the following:

What turns me on:
when someone cares me a lot..id rather to be love than to love

And further down:

virtue is patience

Place cursor on “delete” button then click once. Done.

Comfort Zone

I got tagged by the comfort woman herself, Leigh.

What’s your favorite comfort food?
Pizza and burgers never fail to cheer me up. Pizza includes Yellow Cab’s Roasted Garlic and Shrimp, Shakey’s thin crust pizzas (Friday Special, Meatlover’s or Shakey’s Special), and Napoli’s Howie’s Special (lots and lots of garlic and anchovies, yummy!). When it comes to burgers I’m either a Brothers Burger or Wham! Burger kind of guy, but I don’t mind an occasional Hotshots—so long as they have the cream cheese and garlic topping.

Damn, now I’m hungry again.

What are your comfort books?
Before I’d flip through Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs when bored, which got me familiar with the characteristics of each western zodiac sign. I would also re-read Stephen King’s short stories—easier to stop in between stories. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, especially his “Seasons of Mist” compilation—I love it that Satan chose to destroy Morpheus by handing him over the keys to Hell.

What’s your comfort outfit?
In the house—boxer shorts and really loose t-shirt or sando (if the weather is really hot). Outside—I like my shorts, sleeveless t-shirt and Islander sandals look for really relaxed occasions. Otherwise it’s my usual t-shirt, f&h jeans and Nikes.

What’s your comfort music?
Since I take comfort in music, I had a hard time coming up with a list. So I decided to put them in categories and just give examples for each category.

For no-fail cheer-uppers, most upbeat dance songs are like a shot of sugar straight to my bloodstream. Three examples: “Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss mix)” by Christina Aguilera/Lil’ Kim/Mya/Pink, “Spice Up Your Life (Morales Radio Mix)” by the Spice Girls and “Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-lite.

If I wanted to release some aggression, “Atomic” by Blondie, “Song 2” by Blur, “Tubthumpin’” by Chumbawamba and “Would I Lie to You” by Eurythmics are examples of what I’d love to listen to with the volume way up.

For nostalgia, “Life in a Northern Town” by Dream Academy, “Material Girl” by Madonna, “Burning Flame” by Vitamin Z, the whole December album by George Winston, and any Electric Light Orchestra.

If I’m in a funny-cynical mode, I’d love to listen to “Girlfriend in a Coma” by The Smiths, “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon and most Pet Shop Boys songs (but especially “I Don’t Know What You Want But I Can’t Give It Anymore”).

If I’m in a senti-baduy mood, then the likes of “Do I Have to Say the Words” by Bryan Adams, “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles and “Weekend In New England” by Barry Manilow would do.

I never tag anyone. You choose whether you want to be tagged or not. :-)

More Lyrics

Here are additional lyrics which should have been in my list of Lyrics I Wish I Had Written:

Between the horses of love and lust
We are trampled underfoot.
U2, “So Cruel”

I’m tired of laughing,
and I’m tired of crying.
I’m tired of failing,
and I’m tired of all this trying.
I wanna do some living
cuz I’ve done enough dying—
I just wanna dance
I just wanna fucking dance!
Wayne G mix of “I Just Wanna Fucking Dance” from Jerry Springer - The Opera

But on the other side of the lyrical pendulum, I always cringe whenever I hear the following lines, some of them from songs I like. Maybe it’s the sentiment, maybe it’s the way it was written, or maybe the words just don’t make sense. Whether in form or content let me call them the:

Lines I’m Embarrassed To Sing Out Loud

See me sitting in the palm tree,
Waiting for those little words from you
People laugh and point their fingers,
Like I was a monkey at the zoo
But I will stay here, among my coconuts
So you will know dear, you’re everything I've got
ABBA, “Sitting In The Palm Tree”

Get out of my dreams,
Get into my car (beep-beep-ooh-yeah!)
Billy Ocean, “Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car”

The reflex is an only child, he’s waiting by the park;
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark.
And watching over lucky clover, isn’t that bizarre?
Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark.
Duran Duran, “The Reflex”

Don’t want to be in public,
My head is full of chopstick, I don’t like it.
Duran Duran, “(I’m Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement”

You’re looking good just like a snake in the grass,
One of these days you’re gonna break your glass.
Don’t bring me down.
Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down”

(The next quote I have no problem with the writing; it’s the sentiment that gets me cringing.)
Hello, I'm just a fool who’s willing to sit around and wait for you.
But baby can’t you see, there's nothin’ else for me to do—
I’m hopelessly devoted to you.
Olivia Newton-John, “Hopelessly Devoted To You”

You’ve got the look, you’ve got the hook
U sho’ nuf do be cookin’ in my book
Your face is jammin’
Your body’s heck-a-slammin’
If love is good, let’s get 2 rammin’
U got the look, u got the look
Prince, “U Got The Look”

Baby knows I like to be excited,
No one wants to fight it,
It’s getting late so I’ll just demonstrate
Don’t cry now
Don’t cry now
…
At the end of the day makin’ love to the paper moon
Robin Gibb, “Boys Do Fall In Love”

Magenta feelings take up shelter
In the base of my spine
Sweet like a chic a cherry cola
Savage Garden, “I Want You”

I’m sure you have your own lines too.

This Episode Is Exclusively Brought To You By:

Flipping through Connexion, I saw a guy whose status read Exclusively Dating then underneath it, the names of two guys.

Excuse me? “Exclusively dating”? Which part of “exclusive” did he not understand?

Then again, maybe he just dates both guys and has put a cap on just two. Or does he? You see, I remember seeing his profile a while back, maybe a month or so ago. And I remember clearly that there was only one guy he was “exclusively dating”. But now that guy has been joined by another.

Because his Connexion profile can be seen by both guys he’s “exclusively dating”, I suppose it’s safe to assume that both know they’re sharing one guy. So perhaps Connexion features only “exclusively dating” but doesn’t have categories like “dating several at once” or “polygamously connected to”.

Blame it on Connexion.

All Bark, But Will They Bite?

Last night over dinner after rehearsals, my director and I were bonding with some of the kids we were working with on this play. Our discussion settled on two guys in the production, let’s call them Ernie and Bert. (Neither was with us that night, making it easier for us to talk about them.) Ernie is a gregarious, out gay guy while Bert is this very quiet, always scowling handsome guy whose girlfriend is part of the cast.

Me: “Did you know that Ernie and Bert used to be a couple?”

Direk: “No kidding!”

The others confirmed that indeed Ernie and Bert had been a couple before. They were inseparable when they first entered college. Direk couldn’t get over it.

Me: “Maybe they were just best friends. Maybe it’s just platonic.”

Direk: “C’mon! Weren’t they lovers? How can a couple be lovers and not have sex?”

I turned to the kids. “Wait. Would you know if Bert and his girlfriend have had sex?” All three were definite. “Yes. In fact she tells us about it.”

Me: “Well, what if Ernie and Bert are not really homosexuals?”

One of the students volunteered, “Actually they say that their bisexuals daw.”

Me: “Yeah, but did the two ever have sex with one another?”

The kids looked at each other and shook their heads. “I don’t think so, I doubt,” said one of them.

Direk and I: “Hu-whaaat?!”

Me: “See? So maybe they were really just best friends!”

One of them raised his eyebrows: “Yeah right, best friends who are always together and just like to hold hands and kiss each other on the lips and sleep over at each other’s houses.”

I was incredulous: “So maybe, hmmm… perhaps their relationship is, uh, platonic that’s, ah, physically demonstrative?”

Direk waved his hands in front of me and smiled: “Wait! Maybe we can label their relationship as…” dramatic pause “…puppy homosexual love?”

So all you guys who call yourselves straight-acting or bisexual or bi-curious or bi-experimental or gay-friendly or whatever it is you want to call yourselves, you now have a new term you can use: “puppy homosexual love.” Just make sure you do it doggy-style.

After all, what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would wither and die. That which we call a fish by any other name would smell just as fishy.

Half A Review

S P O I L E R A L E R T !
Read this only AFTER reading the book.

Now that JK Rowling is financially secure for the rest of her life thanks to Harry Potter, I suspect she’s now concentrating on securing her critical reputation as a writer.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in a seven-part series, but it actually reads like one very long set-up for the last chapter—where Harry and Voldemort finally face off. This is the long-awaited match-up, and I think Rowling is making sure not to leave any stone unturned for the climax. Such massive anticipation could stress out even the most seasoned of authors; it is to her credit that HPATHBP doesn’t ooze flop-sweat. Instead, she quite confidently sets things in motion. Which isn’t to say that the sixth book is full of action; on the contrary, nothing much happens. Most of the “action” happens in flashbacks.

In HPATHBP Rowling finally attempts to address two of the major weaknesses in the Harry Potter series: Voldemort and Prof. Dumbledor. While most of her characters are real and three-dimensional, the chief villain of the series has always been a flat character. In the sixth book Voldemort’s past comes to life, giving us clues as to what makes him tick, and more importantly, how he’ll be defeated.

Rowling also addresses the structural and thematic problem of Dumbledor. The Hogwarts headmaster has always acted as the deus ex machine of the series: Need to turn back time? He’ll provide the means. Got bitten by a huge snake? His phoenix will come to the rescue. With him around to save the day, Harry’s not really in any real danger from Voldemort. By taking him out of the equation, she ups the stakes between Harry and Voldemort.

But wait, you might say. Are we really sure that Dumbledor is out for good? Time Magazine, in a sidebar, actually points out precedents from The Chronicles of Naria and Lord of the Rings of beloved characters coming back from the dead; I’m actually partial to Obi Wan Kenobi myself. But one need not look far for precedents; in fact, Voldemort himself is the prime example of characters cheating death. So while Dumbledor took a hit, don’t be surprised to see him coming back in one form or another in book seven. But maybe Rowling will limit the way in which he’ll help Harry.

Meanwhile, the sixth book is full of character development, unexpected twists and surprises galore. As a writer Rowling still needs to work on writing fight scenes. But by now she’s an expert on red herrings and shocking revelations. Where does Snape exactly stand? Does Neville play a major role at all? And don’t count out the two house elves in the story—they may yet provide unexpected help in the final book.

So enjoy the sixth book. Because the next wait will be the last time you’ll wait in anticipation for Harry, Hermione and Ron. Enjoy it while you can.

Here Are Some Of My Favorite Lines

Okay, okay—I got this fondness for lists from Entertainment Weekly magazine.

While waiting for my editor on a Friday evening, instead of memorizing my lines, I ended up listing some of my favorite lyrics. Some I chose because of the writing, the way the words were crafted and laid out. Some I chose for the sentiment; the words just resonate for me. So without further ado, may I present the latest McVie list:

Lyrics I Wish I Had Written
(in no particular order)

The fire trucks are coming up around the bend
Alanis Morissette, “You Learn”

I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire, despair, desire…
So many monsters
Annie Lennox, “No More ‘I Love You’s’”

Waits at the window
Wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door—
Who is it for?
Oh, the lonely people, where do they all come from?
The Beatles, “Eleanor Rigby”

So when you look at me you better look hard and look twice,
Is that me baby or just a brilliant disguise?
…
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he’s sure of
Bruce Springsteen, “Brilliant Disguise”

But you gave away the things you love
And one of them was me
I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee
Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain”

So don’t mind if I fall apart
There’s more room in a broken heart
Carly Simon, “Coming Around Again”

This is the end of everything
This is the end, I know
This is the end of everything
Take your love with you when you go
Chris Isaak, “The End Of Everything”

Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Depeche Mode, “Enjoy The Silence”

I will go down with this ship
And I won’t put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I’m in love and always will be
Dido, “White Flag”

I need to remember this
So baby give me just one kiss
And let me take a long last look
Before we say goodbye
Don Henley, “The End Of The Innocence”

The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again
…
So I’m thinkin’ about forgiveness,
Forgiveness…
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore
Don Henley, “The Heart Of The Matter”

Now that I don’t have you
Maybe someday I’ll love as others do
And fall for someone who’s sad but true
Now that I don’t have you
Jill Sobule, “Now That I Don’t Have You”

Fate must have a reason
Why else endure the season of hollow soul?
k.d. lang, “Season Of Hollow Soul”

There’s no greater power
Than the power of goodbye
Madonna, “The Power Of Good-Bye”

If we both were born in another place and time
This moment might be ending in a kiss
But there you are with yours and here I am with mine
So I guess we’ll just be leaving it at this
Olivia Newton-John, “I Honestly Love You”

In years to come they may discover
what the air we breathe and the life we lead
are all about—
But it won’t be soon enough,
Soon enough for me
Paul McCartney, “Tug Of War”

It’s a turn-around jump shot
It’s everybody jump starts
It’s every generation throws a hero up the pop charts
Paul Simon, “The Boy In The Bubble”

It’s just a boy or a girl—
It’s not the end of the world
Pet Shop Boys, “The End Of The World”

Miserablism: is is, and isn’t isn’t.
Pet Shop Boys, “Miserablism”

Don’t blame him for refusing your bid
He didn’t decide to love—you did
…
You don’t fall in love by chance
You choose
Pet Shop Boys, “You Choose”

You’re not the only one with mixed emotions
You’re not the only ship adrift on this ocean
The Rolling Stones, “Mixed Emotions”

So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts—
What’s so amazing about really deep thoughts?
Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon;
How’s that thought for ya?
Tori Amos, “Silent All These Years”

Desperation is a tender trap
It gets you every time
U2, “So Cruel”

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
…
Did I ask too much, more than a lot?
You gave me nothing, now it’s all I got
U2, “One”

I’m sure I’ve left some out so I’ll just add in a future episode.

Do I tag anyone with this? Weeeell…. (smiles)

Bahala na kayo.

Must-Watch TV

Do you have RJTV? Well, now there’s a good reason to switch to that channel every weekday nights at around 9:30pm. That’s when they air—live, mind you—the show Jojo A. All The Way! Yes folks. Jojo A., as in Jojo Alejar from Kuya Germ’s “That’s Entertainment” fame.

Are you reeling already? Are you seeing white spots in front of you? Do you feel faint?

Here’s more.

It is a talk show ala-Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show”. His live audience, judging from the sounds they make, comprises maybe less than 15 people—including staff and crew. He has a group in the audience whom he calls his “Happy People” who provides most of the live applause (which is clearly distinguishable from the canned applause which they insist on also using).

His opening monologue has him delivering jokes while at the same time laughing at them. He laughs at his own jokes, at his own staff (including the live band), and at himself. He is so amused at everything including himself that he laughs at the end of every sentence he says.

Are you still sitting upright in front of your computer?

Hold on tight.

In tonight’s opening spiel he says, “Today is Thursday, and later on we got a great joke about that. But first….”

Huh?

Tonight his guests are also the members of his studio live band. Because he has no other guests, he decides to put callers on air and engage them in inane conversation. He receives a text message from Tim Yap, asking him to greet on-air the Inquirer Super Team because they are watching the show. Jojo A obliges.

It’s excruciating to watch, yet you can’t take your eyes off it. It’s like watching a car crash, fascinating and frightening at the same time. It’s like watching Kris Aquino mouth off about her personal life on camera.

My brother says anyone who can finish an episode of Jojo A all the way should be given a medal. I say that person should be given a lobotomy.

Watch it at least once in your life. Then you can die knowing that you’ve seen Jojo A. All The Way! Then again, watching that show might just be the death of you.

Harry Potted

Done. Finished.

I now know who the Half-Blood Prince is. I know who dies in the end. And now I can read the Time magazine article.

I’m pretty sure the dead person will come back. Heck, it’s a magical world. If Obi-Wan Kenobi can do it using the Force, if Voldemort was able to come back from the dead, then I don’t see why _____________ can’t come back in some form or another.

Truth be told, the death was neither unexpected nor that shocking as compared to the first death encountered in the Harry Potter series. It’s clear from her last two books that J.K. Rowling won’t hesitate to kill off even her most well-loved characters, no matter how handsome they are (goodbye, Cedric!) The two major deaths in the last two books may have made the readers immune to the shock of this latest casualty. But then it is precisely the identity of this latest “victim” that makes me hesitate to write off this character. I won’t be surprised if this character appears again in the seventh and last book.

In fact, the whole of “Half-Blood Prince” seems to be just a major set-up for a grand finale for the final chapter of Potter’s saga. Nothing much really happens in terms of action (though a major fight scene happens towards the end just like in “Order of the Phoenix”), and most of the book is actually an exposition into Voldemort’s past. It’s about time—the poor villain has never had a chance to become a full-bodied character until now.

Now we wait for the movie “Goblet of Fire” and the seventh book.

Harry Update

Three chapters on first sitting, seven chapters on the second—all in one day.

Plus I read the JK Rowling’s interview in Time Magazine plus the side stories—except for the one with the spoilers about “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. I will read it after I finish the book. Yes, my EQ is quite developed, thank you very much.

McVie Cums of Age

Every day I see more white hairs not just on my scalp but also on my beard and goatee. Once I think I spied a strand of white in my nose hairs. Eep!

Nowadays it takes a lot more effort to memorize. It takes a longer time to memorize fewer lines. Methinks my head’s too full of data. They say we only use one-eighth of our brain—dammit, there must be a way to tap the rest.

The most obvious sign of age is the time it takes to get a second or third erection. Heck, what third erection? In basketball terms, it takes a lot longer to execute a turn-around jump shot. That means I had to reinvent my sexual repertoire. That means increased amount of foreplay. Plus if my partner’s younger than me, I focus first on his pleasure and satisfaction.

There is an upside to having sex with an older man. Wink, wink.

Hehehe.

And A Boy Shall Distract Me

Last night when I saw him lying on my bed I told myself: “Oh geez, now I’m fucked.”

He is Harry Potter. My sister bought our copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last Saturday. By Sunday afternoon she was one-third into the book. I was hoping she’d take a few more days to finish before she’d pass it on to me.

But last night the book was already on my bed. Harry was staring at me from the cover, calling to me: Read me! Read me now! I’ve heard that this book is an easy read, plus it is shorter than the previous two. Still, that’s time I could be using for memorizing my lines in the play.

Harry or memorize? Harry or memorize?

Argh!

Correction

Thanks to PHILLIP and NAM for pointing it out: the suicide note “This is a crazy planets!” is by Stella STRADA, not Suarez. Shet, laos, hahaha.

Thanks for the correction.

Singles

For a change of pace last Saturday, I suggested to Ed that instead of going to Bed (which would make it two nights in a row) we head for Government. Ed was excited with the suggestion—it was singles’ night in the only gay dance club in Makati.

They had an interesting gimmick: each person is given a number at the door, which you wear the whole night. If someone fancies you, he can take note of your number and go to the second floor bar where he can leave a message for you to the guy operating the Powerpoint. A few minutes later, the message will be flashed on a huge screen in the middle of the dance floor. So while the people are dancing, you can read messages like: “To 150: You’re cute! Can I take you home tonight? From 068.”

I was number 198, while Ed and his friend (both arrived much later than me) were numbers 229 and 230. As the night progressed we also made fun of some of the messages. We got a kick out of this particular one: To XXX: I’ve always been attracted to you, but you’re so elite.

“So what does that make the sender—jologs?” we joked.

After a while we realized no one was sending us any message, so we decided to take matters into our hands and sent one another messages. The message I sent to me was: To 198: This is a crazy planets!! –Stella Suarez (by the way, that really was her suicide note). Ed sent a message to his friend: To 230: Get your hands off my boyfriend! which prompted his friend to take off his number lest people tag him as a boyfriend-stealer.

But pretty soon we got bored with the whole thing. While Ed and friend concentrated on dancing, I decided to leave early because I still had a big day next day.

Next Thursday in Government they’ll introduce the very first speed dating for gays. Hmmm.

Wave Hello

We have a new strip mall in Marikina and I for one am happy to have the Blue Wave at Marquinton so near our house—a mere five to seven minutes away. Sure, there’s the usual fastfood places like Jollibee and KFC.

But it also has—gasp!—Yellow Cab, Super Bowl of China and Starbucks. (Okay, not really head-over-heels with the latter.) Roasted garlic and shrimp pizza is just a few minutes away! Yellow Cab opened just a week ago, so they still don’t have their delivery services up and running. Still I don’t mind driving there just to enjoy their pizza.

It also has Gerry’s (my younger brother’s favorite restaurant), Pancake House (my sister loves their waffles) and Max’s (I adore their endorser, Papa Piolo!) It has four state-of-the-art (or so they claim) movie theaters (Dolby surround kasi all four); I still have to watch a movie there and see for myself.

Hay naku, at last. The Shoe Capital goes New Wave, hehehe.

When Stars Align

And so it was that on the 16th of July in the year of the Lord 2005 that the cosmic Powers That Be have aligned the stars so that the following historic meeting could take place: McVie meets Badinggerzie!

Actually it was really like this: Badinggerzie meets Imogen, then McVie meets the two who were chatting outside Komiks Bar in Malate.

Rewind to a few hours earlier: I had finished my work in the office (after waiting for several hours and making that song title list in the previous episode) and was just waiting for my officemate and friend—let’s call him Ed—to finish so that we can both go to Bed. Ed had a date that night, a 21-year old he had met via Connexion; they twice had sex already, and this was their first real date. The 21-yr old had never been to Bed, and was scared yet excited to go there for the first time. Me? I was playing fairy godmother to Ed while trying to act more than just a glorified driver for the two. Thank goodness we were supposed to meet other friends in Bed, so I didn’t have to feel like a third wheel the whole time.

While on the road, I received a text message from an unidentified number. The message read: “Hi, this is Bernz. Are you anywhere near Malate tonight?”

Gasp. I had emailed him before, giving him my number so that he can text me the next time he was in Malate. This is it, I said to myself. This is really is it!

When we got to Bed, we immediately went inside. Apparently Mr. 21 Years Old has to leave by around 3am so that he can be at home before his dad wakes up, or else. Gosh, at may curfew pa ang date ni Ed! Ampootah! Inside I texted Bernz: “Where are you?” He replied that they were still outside Komiks Bar because it was still too early for them. So I excused myself from Ed and 21—they didn’t mind me leaving them there—and went outside.

The first person I saw was Imogen; he was with two other guys. Eenie meenie minee moe, which one of them is the fairest blogger of them all? Then one of them noticed me and said: “Ahhh. McVie.” He then stretched both arms in welcome.

Bingo!

In the interest of preserving the online anonymity of Badinggerzie, I will not describe him in detail here. Let me just tell you some of my impressions upon meeting him.

First, I had a mental image of someone a little bigger and bulkier, someone who can physically go head-to-head with my mental image of Varsity Captain. Eh my mental image of VC is Chris Evans, the Human Torch himself in the movie Fantastic Four. Instead the person who greeted me was shorter than I expected, and more svelte than I thought. Also he had an aura about him, an unflappable casualness that can easily mask any inner turmoil that we’ve been privy to in his blog.

When he started talking, I realized why VC and Boy Next Door can easily fall for his charms. He fixes you with a penetrating stare—a very Scorpio trait, if you ask me, since most Scorpios I know have that—like his full attention was on you and you alone. And when he talks, it’s as if he dips his words in honey before speaking. No wonder he’s in events—he has to charm not just clients but also talents, celebrities and other creative people involved.

I also got to meet the other cast of characters in his blog, his circle of friends, including his “young Padawan learner.” They all look so young, like fresh-out-of-college young. Either that or I really am old. I felt like a grand mama beside them. After a while I had to leave them because I had to go back to Ed and 21. After several minutes they followed.

Seeing their group huddled together on the dance floor, ogling the go-go boys gyrating half-naked on the ledge, I couldn’t help but remember back during my time when my friends and I would all troop to Malate and have dinner in Penguin, then have drinks and dance the Macarena in Zoo Bar, before trooping at midnight to Giraffe Bar in Makati and dance the Macarena on top of the sofas and tables. Those were heady times, less cynical times. I’m sure they’re not as innocent as we were during our Giraffe days, but I’d like to think that they are still full of hope, that maybe Malate can offer them something more than just an escape from the doldrums of life. Maybe one night they will meet their Prince Charming, their Knight in Shining Armor who can take them all away from this place.

Or maybe I’m just overly-romanticizing the moment. But the image I have of them that night is the one just before I said my farewells—they were on the opposite ledge, dancing the night away while hooting at the sexy go-go boys. Bernz had tossed his head back, his arms raised, like he had not a care in the world. It was a picture of bliss.

Tagged By Phillip

Three names you go by:
1. Joel (by family and friends); Kuya (by my younger brothers and sisters)
2. Macavee (by some friends)
3. JoMac (by some friends)

Three screen names you have had:
1. McVie
2. McPisces
3. Pisces12

Three physical things you like about yourself:
1. eye lashes
2. calves
3. hair (took me a while to learn to embrace my curls and make them work for me)

Three physical things you don’t like about yourself:
1. my posture—I slouch
2. my beel-beel
3. hair (if I don’t “fix” it right, I get OC about my hair almost the whole day!)

Three parts of your heritage:
1. Chinese
2. Spanish (ng sliiiight lang)
3. Malay (ko)

Three things that scare you:
1. first day of drop scripts
2. opening night/first performance with an actual, paying audience
3. not meeting responsibilities and deadlines (ang pootah, serioso?!)

Three of your everyday essentials:
1. cellphone
2. music
3. food

Three of your favorite musical artists:
1. The Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Pet Shop Boys

Three of your favorite songs:
1. No More “I Love You’s” by Annie Lennox
2. The Obvious Child by Paul Simon
3. Crazy In Love by Beyonce

Three things you want in a relationship:
1. trust (also the condom)
2. ka-wavelength
3. independence

Three lies and truths in no particular order:

LIES:
1. I attend Sunday mass every week.
2. I’m happy for all the couples I know.
3. Love is all we need.

TRUTHS:
1. The more you learn, the more you know just how little you know.
2. I look younger than my age.
3. I’ve never had a boyfriend ever.

Three physical things that appeal to you:
1. shoulders
2. chest
3. abs

Three of your favorite hobbies:
1. road trip
2. watching movies
3. food trip

Three things you want to do really badly now:
1. change my shirt
2. jack off
3. memorize my lines

Three careers you’re considering/you’ve considered:
1. teach communication arts in college
2. guest relations at a beach resort
3. chauffer

Three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Bohol
2. Sydney (second largest gay capital in the world)
3. Hong Kong (cute Chinese boyz!)

Three kid’s names you like:
1. Migo (my nephew Miguel Ignacio’s nickname)
2. Drew
3. Artemis

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. direct a film
2. visit my dad’s province in Leyte
3. appear as an on-cam talent

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. love fast cars
2. love gadgets
3. got a really messy room
(Hehehe, I just retained Phillip’s answers, cuz mine are the same.)

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. attracted to boys
2. fussy with my hair
3. pluck my eyebrows

People I would like to see take this quiz:
Bahala na kayo, matatanda na kayong lahat. :-)

iStats: Titles

While waiting for my editor to finish, I started scrolling down the songs in my iTunes (which of course is the same in Mini-Me). First I noticed there were quite a number of song titles starting with the word “so”. I scrolled down some more and found out there were also many song titles beginning with the word “take”.

I started listing the words that had at least 5 titles starting with it. I had to disqualify the 33 songs starting with the word “I” (and its variations “I’ll,” “I’d” and “I’m”) and 36 songs with the word “the” for obvious reasons.

Here are the top 7 of the most common words at the start of the song title in Mini-Me:

Number 7 (four-way tie): Get / In / My / So
Thank god I don’t have Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”

Number 6 (five-way tie): If / Every / One / What / Who
Interestingly, “when,” “where,” “which” and “how” didn’t make the cut.

Number 5 (3-way tie): It’s / No / Take
I checked, there wasn’t a title with “It Is.” I guess songwriters prefer to abbreviate their titles.

Number 4: A
The article “a” is less definitive than the article “the” so maybe that’s the reason why it’s only number 4 on the list.

Number 3: Don’t
Again, I looked and there wasn’t a title that started with “Do Not.”

Number 2: Love
Fascinating, but what the world needs now, what we all need, isn’t in the top spot. Well, maybe because the titles of most love songs don’t have to start with the word “love.” That is why the most popular word at the start of the song title is a pronoun.

Number 1: You
What better way to address someone than with a song, right? One can even dedicate a song to a loved one. Of course, not all of the “You” songs are love songs; some even are kiss-offs to an ex-lover, as you will see below.

* * * * *

The List:

Number 7: a four-way tie between “Get,” “In,” “My” and “So”

1. Get Busy – Sean Paul
2. Get Down (You’re The One For Me) – Backstreet Boys
3. Get Off My Cloud – The Rolling Stones
4. Get Right – Jennifer Lopez
5. Get Ur Freak On – Missy Elliot

1. In My Place – Coldplay
2. In The Summertime – Shaggy
3. In Too Deep – Genesis
4. In Too Deep – Belinda Carlisle
5. In Your Eyes – Kylie Minogue
(What? I didn’t burn Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”?! Sheeet.)

1. My Favorite Game – The Cardigans
2. My First Day Alone – The Cascades
3. My Hometown – Bruce Springsteen
4. My Love Is Your Love (Jonathan Peters Mix) – Whitney Houston
5. My Own Way – Duran Duran

1. So Close – Daryl Hall and John Oates
2. So Cruel – U2
3. So Hard – Pet Shop Boys
4. So Long – ABBA
5. So Serious – Electric Light Orchestra

------------------------

Number 6: a five-way tie between “If,” “Every,” “One,” “What” and “Who”

1. If I Can’t Have You – Bee Gees
2. If I Told You That – Whitney Houston
3. If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
4. If She Knew What She Wants – The Bangles
5. If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better – Tamperer feat. Maya
6. If You Leave – Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark

1. Every Little Thing – Jeff Lynne
2. Every Time – Janet Jackson
3. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
4. Everybody Knows (Except You) – The Divine Comedy
5. Everytime – Britney Spears
6. Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

1. One – Bee Gees
2. One – U2
3. One & One – Robert Miles (with Maria Nayler)
4. One More Night – Phil Collins
5. One Of Us – ABBA
6. One Week – Barenaked Ladies

1. What Have I Done To Deserve This? – Pet Shop Boys
2. What If – Coldplay
3. What Is Love – Haddaway
4. What Makes You Think You’re The One – Fleetwood Mac
5. What Would It Take – Jeff Lynne
6. What Are You Waiting For? Gwen Stefani

1. Who’s Crying Now – Journey
2. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2
3. Who’s That Girl – Madonna
4. Who’s That Girl? – Eurythmics
5. Who Do You Think You Are? – Spice Girls
6. Who Wants To Live Forever – Sarah Brightman

------------------------

Number 5: a 3-way tie between “It’s,” “No” and “Take”

1. It’s All Been Done – Barenaked Ladies
2. It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back) – Eurythmics
3. It’s Alright – East 17
4. It’s Like That – Run-D.M.C. vs Jason Nevins
5. It’s No Good – Depeche Mode
6. It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix) – Whitney Houston
7. It’s Ok – Fine Young Cannibals

1. No Letting Go – Wayne Wonder
2. No More “I Love You’s” – Annie Lennox
3. No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version) – Paul McCartney & Wings
4. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) – Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand
5. No One Like You – Sarah Brightman
6. No Questions Asked – Fleetwood Mac
7. No Surprises – Radiohead

1. Take A Bow – Madonna
2. Take A Chance On Me – ABBA
3. Take A Chance On Me – Erasure
4. Take It Away – Paul McCartney
5. Take Me Home – Phil Collins
6. Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
7. Take Me To The Clouds Above – LMC vs U2

------------------------

Number 4: “A”

1. A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow
2. A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
3. A Groovy Kind Of Love – Phil Collins
4. A Little More Love – Olivia Newton-John
5. A Little Respect – Erasure
6. A Question Of Lust – Depeche Mode
7. A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Annie Lennox
8. A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Sarah Brightman

------------------------

Number 3: “Don’t”

1. Don’t Bring Me Down – Electric Light Orchestra
2. Don’t Call Me Baby – Madison Avenue
3. Don’t Come Around Here No More – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4. Don’t Forget To Remember – Bee Gees
5. Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush
6. Don’t Leave Me On My Own – Chris Isaak
7. Don’t Look Back – Fine Young Cannibals
8. Don’t Tell Me – Madonna
9. Don’t Walk Away – Electric Light Orchestra

------------------------

Number 2: “Love”

1. Love At First Sight – Kylie Minogue
2. Love Is A Stranger – Eurythmics
3. Love Is Strong – The Rolling Stones
4. Love Isn’t Easy – ABBA
5. Love Me Do – The Beatles
6. Love Shack – The B-52’s
7. Love To Hate You – Erasure
8. Love Will Never Do (Without You) – Janet Jackson
9. Lovefool – The Cardigans
10. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ – Journey

------------------------

Number 1: “You”

1. You’ll Be Safe Here: Orchoustic Version – Rivermaya
2. You’re Gorgeous – Babybird
3. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
4. You’re Still The One – Shania Twain
5. You’re The One That I Want – Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
6. You Are The One – a-Ha
7. You Got Lucky – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
8. You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart – Eurythmics
9. You Learn – Alanis Morissette
10. You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
11. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk – Pet Shop Boys
12. You Promised Me (Tu Es Foutu) – In-Grid
13. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
14. You Should Be Dancing – Bee Gees
15. You Surround Me – Erasure
16. You Win Again – Bee Gees

Gosh, what a nerdy thing to do while waiting! Plus I should have just used the time to memorize the script, hahaha.

Memorize To The Occasion

I’ve started memorizing my lines. My character has some of the longest lines in the play. I’m worried about being ready to drop script* by Monday. I don’t know if I can do it. But heck, I should think positive, think of it as a challenge—I’ve done this before, I can do it again.

I feel scared yet excited, like I’m about to bungee-jump. I always feel like this when I’m in a play. Can I memorize in time? Will I be able to “get” my character? Can I pull of each and every performance? After decades of stepping in front of an audience, I still get butterflies in my stomach. That’s good.

Once in a while we should always do something that terrifies us.

* * * * *

*drop script – means that you’ve memorized your lines and can rehearse without the script in your hands

THE SHADOW CABINET

(This I got via email. I’m sure it’s doing the email rounds faster than the ebola virus.)

ECONOMIC TEAM Susan's thrust will be to achieve an ECONOMIC MIRACLE that the country missed in the 80s and 90s. Nobody is better equipped in making this MIRACLE happen than Nora Aunor (Himala). As NEDA Secretary, Sec. Aunor will not draw water from brooks of Kupang (Place of Himala), but would make miracles happen by encouraging people to believe in themselves. According to the future NEDA chief, “Tayo ang gumagawa ng Himala.” She will be assisted by Undersecretary Madame Auring to guide the government in taking the miraculous path.

Sec. Aunor will be supported by Sec. Pepe Pimentel (Finance) and Sec. Roderick Paulate (Budget and Management). As Finance chief, Sec. Pimentel is well aware of where the “Kwarta” is. And no matter how small revenue collection will be, the public purse will be efficiently handled and kept by Budget Secretary Paulate in his “Bayong” with Undersecretary Amy Perez.

Finally, the Team is completed by Trade and Industry by the tandem of Sec. Mura and Undersecretary Mahal to make sure that the basic commodities are priced right, neither expensive (Mahal) nor cheap (Mura).

SERVICES TEAM True to her populist color, Susan will give more to those who have less in life. Being allied with the GMA administration, MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando will be replaced by another Bayani, New MMDA Chair Bayani Agbayani. As such he will scrap the Odd-Even scheme and implement a simpler “Ocho-Ocho” traffic program, i.e., no cars in Edsa from 8am to 8pm.

Agriculture Department will be headed by Sec. Vilma Santos to ensure that food supply will be bountiful in all seasons in all regions.

Housing, being the cornerstone of the Susan Roces Administration, will be given to an equally regal and competent person, HLURB Secretary Dolphy. As such, he will ensure that the masses get their deserved homes either along the riles (railroads) or airports. The middle class on the other hand will be helped by Undersecretary Nova Villa.

The National Youth Commission will be headed by German Moreno so that he can help develop the talents of the millions of Filipino Youth. He will be assisted by Commissioners-At-Large Jojo Veloso and Alfie Lorenzo.

Social Welfare portfolio will be given to no less than Sec. Willie Revillame. He will leave his show to prepare for government service. To fund the welfare programs, the young Lucky Manzano will be appointed to the PCSO and PAGCOR.

Finally, the Department of Health will be headed by Dr. Vicky Belo. The projects in line are as follows: Oplan Alis Skin Disease, Tangal Taba, and Libreng Lipo sa Masa.

RESOURCES TEAM Susan Roces’ policy is the full development of our resources for the benefit of the people.

Department of Energy will be headed by Sec. Gary Valenciano. No more PPA, just pure energy.

The Environment portfolio will be given to Sec. Chin-Chin Gutierrez and supported by Bureau of Forestry Director Rico J. Puno, Mines and Geosciences Directress Gretchen Barreto, and Undersecretary Jimmy Bondoc.

DEFENSE AND LAW AND ORDER TEAM Considering the lack of respect the citizens have for the law of the law, Susan will implement the policy of law without fear or favor.

The Defense Department will be given to Sec.Annabel Rama who is feared by the devil himself. If she can handle Ernie Maceda, why not the generals of the AFP? If she can defend Ruffa’s integrity despite all her shenanigans, what more the integrity of the national territory?

The Department of Interior will be headed by another fighter, Sec. Mystica who is well aware of the workings of the police after figuring in weekly brawls ever since she entered showbiz. She will be assisted by PNP Chief Paquito Diaz, an expert on mobs and thugs.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS TEAM Susan will continue the current government’s constructive engagement. Among the members of the nation’s new foreign service are the following Ambassadors:

Africa Union - Susan Africa
Austria - Amy Austria
Brunei Darusalam - Cristina Gonzalez
Colombia - Ace Vergel
Germany - Baron Geisler
Israel - Dick Israel
Jordan - Jordan Herrera
Spain - Gerald Madrid
Romania - David Bunevacz
Russian Federation - Nanette Medved
Turkey - Ruffa Gutierrez-Bektas
United Kingdom - Princess Punzalan
United States - Angelica Jones

The Department of Foreign Affairs will be headed by Sec. Melanie Marquez (Miss International) who is very experienced in “international” relationships.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT Lastly, to manage all the department secretaries—a function of the Executive Secretary—no less than Exec. Sec. Lily Monteverde will “manage” all of them to make sure that they work in line with government policies. If Mother Lily can manage the whole Regal Family (plus Regal Babies), what more the nation’s Official Family? She will be assisted by Presidential Management Staff Sec. Lolit Solis, another “talent” manager. To complete the roster of palace officials, the presidential Spokesperson’s job will be given not to Boy Abunda nor Cristy Fermin as other have speculated, but to the reliable Sec. Rey Pumaloy (aminin!) to ensure that the government will not hide anything from the public.

Kay SUSAN tayo !!!

(My only objection: where is Rez Cortez?)

Video Baton

Michael passed this video baton to me.

Total Number of Films I own on DVD and Video:
More than 130 if only DVDs, more than 150 if VHS included

The Last Film I Bought: Angels In America (on DVD)

Five (5) Films Which I Watch A Lot:
• The Princess Bride
• All About Eve
• This Is Spinal Tap
• The Matrix Reloaded (only the following fight scenes: the Burly Brawl, in the chateau versus the Merovingian’s goons, and the whole highway chase and fight sequences)
• Shakespeare In Love

Five (5) Films Which Mean A Lot To Me:
• The Princess Bride
• All About Eve
• E.T. The Extra-terrestial
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Kingdom Of The Philippines

Form of government: a fabulous monarchy

Ruler: Queen

Elections: a nationwide beauty contest every 4 years; aside from swimsuit and evening gown competitions, each contestant will also be judged according to economic platform and social reforms. And world peace, of course.

National Flower: anthurium (hihihi!)

National Flag: the rainbow flag

National Costume: Illegally Low jeans by f&h, baby t-shirt one size too small (optional)

National Bird: Hello, kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan?

National Anthem: “I Will Survive”

Haaay naku.

How About A Monarchy?

I don’t like Gloria, but I don’t like Susan more. I don’t like either Noli or Loren. I don’t trust Drilon, Pimentel and de Venecia. Bro. Eddie Villanueva, please go back to your prayers. To former Presidents Aquino and Ramos: your time has gone. To former President Estrada, stay in your very expensive cell or your very expensive hospital suite.

So who should run our country?

Why are they all after the presidency anyway? I really don’t know why anyone in his right mind would want to be president of the Philippines.

This isn’t indifference. This isn’t apathy. This is politics-fatigue.

The Stalker-Maker

McVie and the Mad Hatter

While waiting for Neil, I heard someone call my name. It was Karen Kunawicz, and she was near the front of the line.

Karen and I were both copywriters in the same advertising agency for, gosh, five or six years? Before that I would regularly see her in the late Club Dredd. She wasn’t difficult to spot—the thin, wispy girl mostly in black. But when I got to know her better in the agency, she wasn’t as black and dreary as her looks implied. Yes, she has her fair share of dark moods and thoughts, but don’t we all? The adjective I prefer to describe her would be “sweet”. Yes, underneath the goth-goth-an aura is actually a very sweet girl.

Anyway she went up to me, shook my hand and said, “I have to thank you. You introduced me to Neil Gaiman.”

I was taken aback: “I did?” I’m really getting old.

“Yes you did,” she said. “You lent me your Neil Gaiman comics.”

Oh wow.

My brother and sister were reminiscing about how they got hooked on Neil. They remembered me bringing home a borrowed copy of the first Sandman collection, “Preludes and Nocturnes” and lending it to them after I finished reading it. They remembered me buying our very first Sandman issue, “Orpheus” (the very one Neil signed). They remembered everything. Me? I had forgotten already, sheesh.

Later on I found out in her blog that Karen went to all of the Gaiman events scheduled over the three days. My brother went to the Sunday and Monday book signings; he would have gone to the Monday press conference had he gotten the extra ticket earlier.

It’s a funny feeling to know I had a hand in creating Neil Gaiman stalkers.

Play Time Again

Okay, so my theater debut either as a dog or as the lead character has been aborted, because they don’t have a venue for the production. According to them they’re “postponing” the production to a later date. Frankly, I don’t mind it if the play doesn’t push through at all. I’m worried about the material itself; it’s interesting but ultimately difficult to market. And it’s definitely not a crowd-pleaser; it’s a demanding philosophical piece that may leave audiences scratching their heads in the end.

Still, God closes a door only to open another one. A few weeks ago two of my friends passed by the office to tell me they just attended an audition for the play Bayan-Bayanan. They were both excited because the director is not only a close friend of ours, but a damn good director too. He started out as an excellent actor, so he brings this understanding of an actor’s needs into his role as director.

Anyway, last Sunday I sent the director an SMS message: “I heard from X and Y that you held auditions last Monday. Darn, I couldn’t make it that day. Sayang.”

A few minutes later he replied: “I have a lead role for you. If you’re interested, pls. text back ASAP.”

I was taken aback: “Hey are you serious?! I’m embarrassed all of a sudden. But only slightly, hahaha! I’m interested.”

He told me he’ll have a stage manager contact me for the details the next day. Still I couldn’t believe I was part of a play just like that. So I sent another SMS: “Hey, even if I just play an alternate, it’s ok with me. I just hope that in case you’ve already made your cast list, no one gets bumped off because of me or something like that.”

He replied: “You’re the answer that’s been right under my nose all this time. Good thing you texted me.”

Well, I’m glad to be his answered booger all along.

* * * * *

So this afternoon I attended the first reading for the play Bayan-Bayanan by Bienvenido Noriega, Jr. It’s about Filipinos living overseas. When it was written in the 70s the concerns were a little different. But the uprooted-ness of Filipinos abroad and the manner by which they cope still ring true even today, 30-plus years later.

I think for the first time in my life I actually play a character that’s my age. Pol is 38 years old, but sickly because even after several years abroad he still isn’t used to winter in Geneva. And by the third act my character is off the stage, which gives me lots of free time to relax and grab a bite while waiting for the curtain call. Sweet! Hahaha, what petty concerns.

But this play is a lot trickier than at first glance. The acting should be sincere and honest for it to be pulled off successfully. The last time I did this kind of play was back in fourth year college—that was in 1987! Ngyek. It’s going to be exciting and challenging for me to be able to pull off Pol. Luckily I trust my director completely. Plus most of my co-actors are fellow alumni and long-time friends; rehearsals and the bonding sessions after will be such a hoot.

This play represents for me a warm womb in which I can seek personal growth and at the same time withdraw from the pressures of work and the turmoil of society at large. So let the rallies rail. We’ll be safe in our little womb, trying to create magic for around two hours on stage. (Well, we hope the political turmoil won’t reach a point where classes will be suspended; if that happens, this play is fucked.)

Commercial Break 2

I would like to thank Nelz and Xander for pointing out a couple of errors in The McVie Show, Nelz for a typo (should have been “cite” instead of “site” in Battle of the Exes episode) and Xander for providing the name of the owner of Fully Booked.

To my eagle-eyed viewers, thanks.

Commercial Break

The McVie Show would like to thank Trippy for providing music from Bed. Now Mini Me’s bopping to house music, and I don’t have to go to Malate to enjoy it. Yehey, makakatipid pa ako, hahaha! Thanks, Joms!

Sunday: Neil and Prey

And now for some petty bourgeoisie concerns, as Xander would put it.

I’m a big fan of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, though I’m not too fond of some of his other graphic novels, books and short stories. But my younger brother and sister are huge fans of his, so when news of his Manila visit came out, they were beside themselves. In the spirit of familial love and solidarity, I decided to join them in the book-signing on Sunday at Fully Booked in Greenhills.

We heard stories of how the previous day’s book-signing in Makati went, so we decided to line up extra early for the 2pm signing. By 9:30am we were already in line; more than a hundred people were there before us, some from yesterday’s signing. I was briefly reminded of college registration days; I’m too old for this, I muttered to myself. A little past 10am they started distributing numbers; we were 121, 122 and 123. Now we could leave the line first to shop and eat.

By 1:30pm we went back to line up according to the numbers given to us. While waiting we couldn’t help but overhear a conversation with this girl and her female friend. They sounded like college students from some exclusive school (yes I know, unfair hasty generalization). Actually it was less of a conversation and more of a monologue; Loud Mouth Girl was yakking at the top of her voice, oblivious to the crowd around them. Her Quiet Friend let her do most of the talking; she would just occasionally reply or nod her head. Her monologue went something like this:
LMG: My god, we shouldn’t forget this! I mean, lining up for hours just to get his autograph?
QF: (nods her head)
LMG: God, I was here at nine this morning! Can you believe that? Nine!
QF: (nods her head, then looks around as if searching for someone)
LMG: We really shouldn’t forget this! No writer should forget this! I’m gonna put this in my Live Journal.

I wanted to point out to her, “Do you know what’s unforgettable? It’s interrupting your friend’s sleep to tell him one of our friends was killed in a violent accident. It’s jumping up and down in the middle of EDSA after we heard Marcos had left the country. It’s carrying your unconscious dad to the car not knowing he had a massive heart attack, and while you’re settling him in the backseat, you hear his last breath slip out of his lips.” But then she’s not even twenty years old. Let her keep her youthful innocence for several more years. She’s just acting her age.

Then again, maybe she is right. Here I am writing about her and about lining up for Neil.

A few minutes later, Quiet Friend spotted the guy she was looking for; their Male Friend was coming towards them, carrying two bags of takeout from a Chinese restaurant. He wasn’t in a good mood; he was full of curses. His dialogue went something like this:
MF: God, I just got you guys extra cups because that stupid asshole at the counter wouldn’t give me extra plates! He’s such a stupid, asshole, dumb-ass, jerk!
LMG: Oh great, lunch! Thank you, thank you dear! (blows flying kisses his way)
MF: Here, go eat. Your dumplings are getting cold.

“Dumplings”? Did he just say “dumplings”? Gawsh! Almost everyone I know would simply call them “siomai”. Now I really feel so jologs and old beside these kids. Then Loud Mouth Girl said something which made me pause in mid-thought.
LMG: Hey, look what I’m giving Neil! (holds up a small paper bag)
QF: (breaking her silence) What’s in there?
LMG: Tuyo and dried mangoes.

Hmmm, I’m not too sure about the tuyo, my dear. Actually I’m also not too keen on the dried mangoes idea, but maybe he’ll like them. But the dried fish? Good thing she didn’t decide to give him patis or fish sauce. Well, it’s really the thought that counts. I’m sure Neil will appreciate that.

I decided to wander off and stay near the doorway to Fully Booked, chatting with some people I know. After several minutes I turned to see a white hotel car stop near the front and a pale Caucasian wearing a black leather jacket stepped out. He was quickly surrounded by two huge bouncers in matching black t-shirts plus a number of Fully Booked staff, also in black. It was Neil, with The Gang In Black. My inner paparazzi kicked in.

He went straight to the entrance, where they set-up a public address system. He thanked the crowd for attending and said it felt weird to address a crowd in such a set-up (no stage, open-air). It reminded him of similar book-signing he attended in a mall in Texas.

He asked the crowd if they wanted him to read an excerpt from his upcoming book, Anansi Boys. Obviously the crowd roared their approval. I wanted to shout, “Naku, pakipot pa ‘to!” but decided I don’t want to be mobbed so I kept my mouth shut. He proceeded to read a few pages from Anansi Boys, the story of a man who, upon the death of his father, found out his dad was the African spider god Anansi.

After the reading we hunkered down to the long wait to have our book signed. The signing started at around 2:30pm. At the start the owner of Fully Booked, a very Papa-ble Jaime Daez (he’s the guy with glasses and in a blue shirt near Neil in the picture above; notice how I made sure he’ll be included in the shot?), announced that they’ll stop the signing by 7:30 because Neil asked to be at the hotel by 8:00pm.

As we got nearer to him, we joked, “What if at number 119 he suddenly developed cramps?” We also saw this woman in Muslim garment ahead of us. “What if she’s a suicide assassin? ‘You think you’re a great writer, Neil? Your Ramadan story sucks, British infidel!’ then she brings out a scimitar and chops Neil’s head off.” Thank Allah when it was her turn she just gave him a hug then left. He didn’t have cramps either. We had our books signed by around 6:00pm.

Because by that time Neil’s eyes were tired from too many flashbulbs, he requested that we take pictures sans flash. But when I knelt down in front of him (“Watch me kneel in front of Neil!”) to take my sister’s photo, in my excitement I forgot to switch off the flash. Click! The flash popped as Neil was signing my sister’s comic book. “OhmygodI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” I was profuse in my apology, but Neil calmly replied, “Oh no problem so long as I’m not looking straight at the camera.” Still I said I’m switching the flash off, so when my brother and I had our pictures taken by a staff member, the pics came out blurred because she didn’t keep her hand steady enough.

Still we were able to get what we wanted. Two of the comic books he signed are special issues, “Ramadan” and “Orpheus”. Both are in pristine condition; with Neil’s signature, their value will rise through the years.

In my copy of “The Dream Hunters” Neil wrote, “Sweet dreams.”

*More pictures to be posted in The McView Point

Battle of the Exes

It’s the Widow versus the General, both ex-presidents.

A few hours after former President Cory Aquino’s press conference asking PGMA to step down voluntarily, former President Fidel Ramos went on-camera in support of PGMA. This is going to be very interesting indeed.

Lines are already being drawn. 10 ex-Cabinet members, Drillon and company, the Makati businessmen and Aquino have called on Gloria to resign. The rest of the faithful Cabinet members, Atienza and company, and Ramos are in support of PGMA.

What’s more, the Catholic Bishops have stated that they are not calling on Gloria to resign. After praying for the country for guidance in the Jesuit’s Church of the Gesu in Ateneo, Cory has now gone to the De La Salle brothers to pray and to react to the Catholic Bishops’ seemingly major snub against the late Cardinal Sin’s bosom buddy. Talk about being a turn-coat. What will her Atenean daughter Kris say?

Reading the papers over the weekend, I’m beginning to suspect the motives of those calling on Gloria to resign, with the exception of Cory. It looks suspiciously like they’re hungry for her to vacate—why, I cannot tell. But the speed and urgency in which they are asking her to resign, well, they’re just like the groups aligned with another former president, Estrada. Is this a naked power grab I see before me? Lend me a dagger and let me stab them right through their greedy hearts.

With “Saint” Cory, things are a little different. It seems that she’s motivated out of a genuine desire for what’s good for the country. Maybe Cory knows something of Gloria’s evil plans for the Philippines. Maybe the late Cardinal Sin appeared to her under her bed—in a dream, of course—to tell her that Gloria spelled backwards is “evil”. Maybe the late Louie Beltran was beside the Cardinal in the dream. Who knows?

Whatever Cory’s motives are, I disagree with her reasoning. She’s calling on Gloria to step down as that is the easiest, most peaceful way for the country to get out of this political turmoil. At the same time she upholds the rule of law, saying that she will resist any extra-constitutional means of taking Gloria down. But why ask Gloria to step down when, in the eyes of the law, she is innocent until proven guilty? Yes, all of these turmoil and dirty politics are taking a toll on Gloria’s capability to govern, but do expect all our presidents to fold at the first sign of difficulty? I gave Cory a chance when, after seven or so coup attempts against her government, she was in a very precarious position and it looked like the late President Marcos was right in calling her “just a mere housewife.” But did I give up on her? Are we now a country reduced to what’s easiest and most peaceful?

If people want to impeach her for her “lapse in judgment” then they should do so in the proper forum. Also, they are asking Gloria to step down because she is accused of cheating in the last elections; they cite the need to have “higher standards” for our elected officials. Heck, if that’s the case then does this mean anybody can just accuse the president with any grievous crime—real or imagined—and he or she will have to step down out of propriety?

At least Erap Estrada had the benefit of an impeachment trial. Gloria’s is a trial by publicity, and it’s getting out of hand.

It’s funny but while I personally like Cory more, I looked back more fondly at the Ramos presidency. He was able to turn our wobbly country around. There are those who say his hands aren’t exactly untainted, but on the whole things ran more smoothly during his time.

Maybe our country really needs tough leaders. Like a classroom of bullies, cheaters and wiseasses, we’re too unruly a country to be left alone without a proctor. Argh, no wonder we fail our tests.

Trial and Escalation

In the trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Professor Dumbledore says this line: “Soon Harry, we must make a choice between what is right… and what is easy.”

Poor PGMA; none of her options are easy. As for the question of what is right, different parties with different reasons have different notions of what is the right thing to do.

In the end one must ask, what is best for our country? At this point I’m not sure anymore.

Meanwhile our office is already putting into motion our contingency plans in such occasions. Internal alert levels are up, and we’re adjusting our work load accordingly. I’m just hoping that there are still many people—regardless of whether they’re for resignation or not—who do not want chaos to reign.

Right now people are starting to gather again in Makati. Hay naku, buti pa sila may oras para mag-rally-rallihan. Wala bang mga trabaho yung mga yun? Malamang wala, noh?

Times like these, we need a Juicy.

Musical Chairs

Yesterday I bumped into a long-time classmate of mine at a bookstore. When he spied my Mini-Me strapped on my belt, he asked, a bit warily, “Ano ba yang iPod na yan? Okey ba yan?”

I don’t blame my generation for being wary of the leaps in technology. After all, we are the generation who managed to experience so many different formats, from vinyl records to different kinds of magnetic tape recording, to compact discs, and now MP3s, in such a (relatively) short span of time. We are a generation that’s updated our music collection several times over the years, and I’m slowly getting tired of it. I’ve changed my music collection more times than I’ve changed… no wait, I’ve never had a boyfriend. Sheesh.

I remember vinyl records. They came in different speeds and sizes—the 45 single, the 33 LP (for “long playing”), and the 78. Our parents owned them and played them during weekends. But because it was easy to scratch them, my dad refused to let us handle them. “Wait until you’re old enough,” he’d tell us. But we couldn’t, so we ended up using those 45s as Frisbees. But by that time our dad had recorded most of our singles into open-reel tapes.

An open-reel tape player/recorder was the precursor to the cassette tapes. One reel contains the recorded tape; the other empty reel collects the tape as it wounds its way; it’s like a cassette tape without the shell. My dad had reels and reels of music, mostly soundtracks and Latin/Caribbean music and a lot of Ray Conniff.

My dad also had an 8-track tape and radio in our car, an old Ford Futura. Yes, you’ve never heard of that car because there were only less than 50 of them in the Philippines (I don’t know how my dad got hold of one, but that was our family car for more than ten years). But I digress. An 8-track tape is bulkier than a cassette tape. It was often used in radio stations and by jeepney drivers. Remember those days when jeepney drivers would stack those tapes by the front windshield? I often wondered how they could drive around with all those tapes blocking almost 80% of their view.

When cassette tapes came out, I started collecting my own music. Cassette tapes were way cheaper and more portable than long-playing albums. I started collecting Beatles albums—no one could go wrong collecting The Beatles back then. Soon I was purchasing the albums by each individual Beatle; then I graduated to soundtracks. I also started saving up for an occasional long-playing album or two. I remember buying my first LP, the Thompson Twin’s Into The Gap, because of the songs “Doctor, Doctor” and “Hold Me Now”.

This continued until the emergence of the compact disc. Ah yes, the CD; the first digital format made available for mass consumption. When my parents asked our uncle to buy us our first CD player from Saudi Arabia(!), I immediately went out and bought 3 CDs so that I can test the sound quality of our player: Barbra Streisand’s The Broadway Album, Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits, and George Winston’s December. My biggest purchase then was the double album of Miss Saigon, the original London cast recording with Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson, Issay Alvarez, and the rest.

Through the years as the CD took over as the dominant format, I started replacing my old cassettes with CD versions. It wasn’t exactly easy on the pocket. Other digital formats threatened to upstage the CD, but none could dethrone it—until the emergence of the MP3 format. Now I’ve been transferring many of my favorites from CDs into MP3. But until we can legally purchase MP3 music, I don’t think I’ll let go of the CD—yet.

What next after MP3? Whatever it is, it isn’t wise to create a format that will render the previous one obsolete. Buyers will resist it—unless they make it so affordable.

Meanwhile I will enjoy Mini-Me as best as I can for as long as I can. We are committed to one another, ‘til death, theft or another format do us part.

Cory Kung

Ayan na. Tita Cory has called on PGMA to resign. Good luck sa ating lahat. Tonight I might go to Malate bago magkagulo na ang lahat.

Eye Candy

Last night my officemates and I (three gays and seven girls) watched Fantastic 4 in Greenbelt. It wasn’t a fantastic movie, but Chris Evans is fantastic to watch.

He struts around for most part of the movie either half-naked or in a body-fitting uniform. As the Human Torch, he heats up the screen with his portrayal of the brash and funny Johnny Storm. Watching him made us all hot and bothered.

Eye-Pod

Get it? Eye, Pod? Hwek-hwek-hwek.

Say hello to Mini-Me. He’s currently loaded with 733 songs, at more than half his capacity. I’m still in the process of burning more songs into my iTunes so I could upload them in Mini-Me. Well-meaning friends have been suggesting songs to put in Mini-Me. Phillip even sent me via email two songs from, well, someone. Thank goodness Mini-Me has the good sense to stay away from my friends. Mwhahaha! I already have ABBA and Barry Manilow, plus I now have Step’s “5,6,7,8” in Mini-Me, thank you very much. Mini-Me’s silver, and he’s happy to be the same color as Orlando my car and Nik my camera. And with the cassette adaptor in place, Orlando and Mini-Me are now best of friends. I can now sing along to “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, “Tragedy” by the Bee Gees, and “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats while driving. I just have to remember to shut up when I stop at a light. I remember doing that before then suddenly noticing the driver beside me looking and giggling at me. Shet, diyahe. My window was up, yet my voice was still heard because I was singing so loud.

Mini-Me’s not too happy with my flowery bedsheet in the background, hahaha! (At shet, hindi ko pa natatanggal yung plastic sa may toggle. How noveau riche, hehehe.)

Mini-Me meets Nik. You can see Nik in Mini-Me’s reflection. Gosh, what’s playing is “Shadows On Your Side”, an obscure non-hit song by Duran Duran in their Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

…

I really need to get a life. I’m friends with my toys.

Hahaha!

Wheee! For Mini-Me

I am a happy McVie today.

Last night I got my iPod Mini. I’m calling him “Mini-Me”. At 4GB, I can stuff 1000 songs in Mini-Me. I have only 649 songs in my iTunes, totaling 2.44GB. I still have many more songs I want to stuff inside my Mini-Me.

I had a Singaporean friend buy it for me in the Lion City, saving me Php2,000. Still, Mini Me has put a major dent in my finances. I need to cut down on my expenses. Ah, kevur ko evur! Kerri ko ang starvation diet muna.

Tonight I’m rushing over to the nearby Tower Records to buy a car cassette adaptor, so Mini-Me can provide sounds inside Orlando. For the longest time the music inside my car has been analogue. Starting tonight it’ll be all digital.

So despite the rains, despite the lack of romance in my life, despite my dwindling finances—I am happy with my new Mini-Me. Thank god for little toys, thank god for small mercies.

Cosmic Joke

You ever had a feeling that sometimes the cosmos conspires to play a joke on you? We end up calling it a cosmic coincidence, but I suspect that it really is more planned than chance. I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumors / but I think that God’s got a sick sense of humor / and when I die, I expect to find him laughing, or so sings Depeche Mode.

Take last Saturday. It started out with a downer. I received an SMS from Ipe, the one who does my hair, asking to move our Saturday afternoon appointment to Sunday. Since I adjust to his schedule, I had to rearrange my weekend plans. The good thing about being single is that I can be very flexible with my plans and change things with a minimum of fuss. Still, what a bummer.

Midmorning, I received an invitation from Leigh to go shopping. I jettisoned my Saturday afternoon plans and joined her for shopping and foot massage.

Afterwards we were having dinner at Metrowalk and I was telling her about my cancelled plans with Ipe when, oh my gulay! At first I couldn’t believe my eyes: did I just see Eddie, Ipe’s significant other? He was with someone, but the other person was ahead and had turned the corner. So I waited until I saw them stepping into view on the second floor. It was Ipe with Eddie! I tried calling him on his cell, but either it was on mute or it wasn’t with him because he didn’t answer. So I just let them be while Leigh and I finished dinner.

After I dropped Leigh off at her house, Ipe called. He and Eddie hadn’t been out on a date in a long time and wanted me to be their guide in Malate. We agreed to meet in Komiks Bar first before going to Bed together.

So my usual Saturday evening in Bed turned out to be an unusual night. We were joined by three of their friends. Since the two have been out of the scene for several years already, they insisted they were wary of what might happen to them inside Bed. So I restricted them to the second floor bar area. Plus I told them, “When going to the bathroom, don’t make eye contact with anyone. If it’s someone you know, let him greet you first.” Good gosh, I have the makings of an anti-social manang! Good thing the two had a few drinks and after a while were having fun.

Normally I don’t enjoy going out with couples—I’ve done that so often before with my past crushes, I perfected being the masochistic third wheel. But despite hanging out with two couples that night (two of the friends are togther), I had fun. And to think I almost met Badinggerzie in person that night! Next time Bernz, magpakilala ka naman, kahit mukhang serioso o masungit ako. Don’t mind my default facial expression.

P.S. – Sunday I got my haircut at Ipe’s in Laguna. We made sure we scheduled it late afternoon to give him and Eddie time to recover; I didn’t want him snipping my ear off by accident.

Waiting In Vain

I was listening to Annie Lennox’s version when I got curious and listened to Bob Marley’s original. Aside from the obvious shift in gender, Annie made some subtle changes in the lyrics: [1] instead of the original “Is it feasible?” Annie changed it to “Is it crazy?” [2] Annie dropped the original line “It’s my love that you’re running from”; instead, she emphasized the line “But your love is my relief” by ending her version with that.

In effect Annie’s version makes her sound more sanguine about being smitten compared to Bob’s version, which is the more sober one (even if he sounds high while singing, hahaha). She can still find it in herself to be cheerful while waiting; he’s still waiting, but he’s more clear-eyed about the situation—despite the fog of ganja smoke surrounding the song.

From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, boy,
my heart says follow through.
But I know, now, that I’m way down on your line,
But the waiting feel is fine.
So don’t treat me like a puppet on a string,
‘Cause I know I have to do my thing.
Don’t talk to me as if you think I’m dumb;
I wanna know when you’re gonna come—soon.

I don’t wanna wait in vain for your love.
‘Cause if summer is here,
I’m still waiting there;
Winter is here,
And I’m still waiting there.

Like I said:
It’s been three years since I’m knockin’ on your door,
And I still can knock some more.
Ooh boy, ooh boy, is it feasible?
I wanna know now,
For I to knock some more.
Ya see, in life I know there’s lots of grief,
But your love is my relief.
Tears in my eyes burn, tears in my eyes burn
While I’m waiting, while I’m waiting for my turn.

It’s my love that you’re running from.

For years this has been my theme song, through four straight guys and several crushes afterwards. It’s time I properly file this song in the soundtrack of my life: under “Classics of the Past”.

Little Girlie Lost

There’s a restaurant along West Avenue, Quezon City which we really like. The food’s great, the price fairly reasonable. We like their laing, binagoongang lechon kawali and liempo ala bacon strips. But we also like going there because their second floor is haunted.

First time we found out from a waitress. We wanted to go to the second floor because the ground floor was already crowded, but she said the area was closed. We joked, “Ay sus, siguro may multo doon, ano!” and to our surprise she replied, “Yes.” Ngyek.

The most active one is the ghost of a little girl whom they call Girlie. They believe she’s the one in the old painting by the corner.

Girlie’s haunted corner

First time we went to that restaurant, there was a table in front of the picture and on it was a bowl of snacks and some eggs, like an offering. I suppose it was their way of appeasing Girlie. According to the staff Girlie isn’t really mischievous; she just shows herself to select customers.

The second time we were there we had Lotta with us. She confirmed she saw Girlie walking around the second floor; at one point she ran around one of our officemates, as if inviting him to play with her. Lotta did not engage Girlie in conversation. Still she sensed Girlie was a lost soul, unaware that she’s already dead.

Say hi to Girlie

When I went up to take pictures this afternoon, I was alone. I couldn’t get near her picture for a close-up; suddenly the air felt heavier and I got the heebie-geebies. I told myself, “I’m freaking myself out, it’s just my imagination,” but I skeedadled out of there after taking a shot of the corner. Later on two of my officemates offered to accompany me upstairs, so I was able to take a close-up of Girlie.

Nothing supernatural was captured on camera. Sorry, this isn’t the movie Shutter.

The Soundtrack Of Your Life

And all along on my trip to nowhere,
You annoyed me with your foolish games.
And how you teased when I first made love,
And I’m left so naked like a burning flame.

This morning on Friday Magic Madness in 89.9FM they played the song “Burning Flame” by Vitamin Z. By gosh, that song sure brought back a lot of fond memories! I remember that plus “Life in a Northern Town” by Dream Academy and George Winston’s “Variations on the Canon by Pachelbel” were the songs that comprised the soundtrack of our barkada’s Baguio trip back in 1985.

He said “In winter 1963
it felt like the world would freeze
with John F. Kennedy
and the Beatles.”
Ah hey, ma, ma ma!
Life in a northern town.

For me the Dream Academy tune is like nostalgia frozen in a song. Whenever I hear it I remember running down Session Road in slippers, shouting after Alice in the car, “Ano? Knorr ampalaya mix?!” I remember huddling by the fireplace, melting marshmallows instead of toasting them. I remember Marlon sleeping with the girls because the boys were already crowded in the boys’ room—to the extreme envy of the boys, because Marlon got to see the girls in their underwear the next morning. I remember the drinking spree at night, and the spilling of secrets among friends. Who’s your crush? What really happened to the two of you? Do you still love him/her?

The following year a different song took over our cassette players.

Don’t you worry about the situation
(A message from the telephone)
They’re out there fighting for the state of the nation
(I’m waiting a chance to come home)

There’s no place like home,
There’s no place like home,
There’s no place, I don’t want to be anywhere else.

We sang Industry’s “State of the Nation” as a defiant anthem against Marcos and his army. We danced to it on EDSA while fireworks burst around us in celebration of the end of the Marcos tyranny. Those were dangerous times, heady times. When the first tank was stopped by people kneeling and praying in front of the soldiers, the whole country then the whole world took notice.

Cut to twenty years after—the Marcoses are back in power and they’re trying to sing Gloria out of office.

When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

When one reaches a certain age, 1GB is not enough to hold the soundtrack of your life. That is why I’ve decided to buy the 4GB iPod Mini. By next week, I’ll have a new toy. Wheee!